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Patriots Training Camp Preview: Cornerback

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No other position got the makeover that cornerback did for the New England Patriots this offseason. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner headlines the 2014 free agent class and instantly give the Pats their best secondary since the dynasty years.

But how will the trickle down effect play out for talented young corners like Logan Ryan and Alfonzo Dennard? And where does Kyle Arrington fit in?

Our training camp preview series continues with a look at a reloaded cornerback group.

Starting with Darrelle Revis, arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, seems like a good place to begin. The Patriots had plenty of battles with Revis from 2007 to 2012, with him being a big part of the Jets going 3-2 against the Pats from 2009-2010.

Revis enters 2014 with something to prove after spending 2013 getting fully comfortable  post-ACL tear. Some think Revis was a little misused in Tampa Bay as well.

Bill Belichick won’t misuse Revis. Now, a full two years removed from his ACL injury, Revis should lay claim to being the top cover corner in the NFL once again and that’s a very good thing for the Patriots.

Revis can effectively take any receiver out of the game and we can expect Bill Belichick will move him around to take away the opposing offense’s strength.

Brandon Browner coming to New England was somewhat unexpected, as Browner will miss the first four games of the season due to suspension. Together, he and Revis give the Pats their most physically imposing cornerback tandem perhaps ever. 

Browner’s superlative height makes him a good tool for the ever-growing array of big X-receivers. This year the Pats will face AJ Green, Calvin Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Marshall and Demaryius Thomas among others. Browner and Revis will have their work cut out for them, however Belichick divides responsibilities up.

Kyle Arrington will once again return to man the slot, known on the Patriots as the “Star” position, one that has effectively grown into a starter’s role. Arrington is durable and physical and, though oft-maligned, did hold Wes Welker to just 8 catches for 69 yards in two games last season.

Alfonzo Dennard has put his legal problems behind him, however offseason shoulder surgery caused him to miss OTAs. Dennard is a tough pest, but with his lack of size he was powerless to stop Demaryius Thomas in the AFC Championship after Aqib Talib went down.

Dennard could be looking at more of a role in the slot, though he hasn’t seen any time there in his first two seasons. It’s possible he could even be part of a rotation with Browner on the outside depending on the matchups. Most pencil him in as the starter until Browner returns in Week 5.

Logan Ryan might have something to say about that. He led the team with five interceptions in 2013, and showed good awareness playing numerous roles in the secondary. He’s also spent some time studying the safety position this offseason, only further building the value he brings.

Ryan could be a real wild card, not only this season but going forward, especially with Revis on what could essentially be a one-year deal. Is there a world where Ryan’s development and rookie contract allow the Pats to let Revis walk in 2015 instead of giving him a monster deal? Perhaps.

Justin Green saw some time in 2013 but will be hard-pressed to find a roster spot this year. First-year player Daxton Swanson and rookie free agent Malcolm Butler stood out in OTAs but might need an injury to strike at the top of the depth chart to make the squad.

Projection:

Expectations for this group are through the roof and understandably so. The press man coverage the Pats have tried to employ the last two seasons now could be truly special in 2014.

Talib had his injury issues, while Dennard was undersized and those two elements held the Pats defense back from hitting the next level. Sure, when both were healthy on, the Pats shut down some good offenses.

But with Revis and Browner in the fold, that now becomes the weekly expectation.  

The Pats have never had this much talented cornerback depth. Yes, they can play press man, but perhaps more importantly they can mix-and-match coverages and responsibilities to their favor. This is when Bill Belichick is at his best.

Previously:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Offensive Line

Tight Ends

Defensive Tackle

Defensive Ends

Linebackers

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Current #Patriots depth chart… PUP/NFI in red. Rookies in highlighted yellow. Italics on those with current known injury issues.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/current-patriots-depth-chart-pupnfi-in-red/

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The Patriots have a perfect personnel mix. Young veterans either entering or in their prime – Chandler Jones, Donta Hightower, Devin McCourty, Rob Ninkovich, Kyle Arrington, Brandon Browner and Mayo. Back-nine veterans with guile and talent – Wilfork and Kelly. Experienced young depth – Seaver Siliga, Chris Jones, Joe Vellano, Logan Ryan, Jamie Collins and Duron Harmon. One of the league’s best defenders in Revis. A head coach who made his legend as a defensive mastermind. There is no logical reason to think the Patriots defense will be the sore spot its been for the past five seasons.

With the tools in place to be a more pressure-oriented defense as opposed to reactive, the Patriots can change their MO and change their stripes from being a team reliant on Tom Brady to save them and one that sets him up to merely get the wins in the barn. That will be the biggest switch of all.

Camp questions: Will Pats ‘D’ be what we think it is? (via vidriodelmar)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-patriots-have-a-perfect-personnel-mix-young/

Patriots Training Camp Preview: Linebacker

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The Patriots lost two linebackers this offseason – Brandon Spikes and Dane Fletcher, and though they didn’t make a splashy addition to replace them this offseason, they still have a promising starting trio remaining. The headline is that defensive signal caller Jerod Mayo returns from a pectoral tear that ended his 2013 season early.

But the depth behind Mayo, Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins is still largely an unknown. With a collection of rookie and veteran free agents, the Pats could find themselves with some new faces at the linebacker position making an impact.

Here’s our preview of the linebackers.

We have to start with Mayo, whose return to the lineup should be a big boost, especially for the pass defense. Mayo makes all the calls and is the leader of the defense. It was surprising the Pats defense was able to hold the fort as well as they did without their captain, but selling out on the pass hurt their run defense.

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Dont’a Hightower was somewhat overwhelmed early on after Mayo went down, but late in the season Hightower settled in and started making plays.

Speaking of making plays, Jamie Collins was all over the place against the Colts in the divisional round. Collins had shown some potential in the regular season, but burst onto the scene in the playoffs.

Almost everyone is projecting Collins to be a breakout star of 2014. At this point it would almost be more surprising if he wasn’t playing almost every down next to Mayo.

The bigger question is how the Collins-Mayo-Hightower trio will fit together schematically. Mayo had been playing the Will linebacker spot since the 2011 switch to a 4-3 base.

While Hightower seems the best fit to slide to Brandon Spikes’ vacated middle linebacker spot, there were rumors from OTAs that it was Mayo manning the middle with Collins on the weakside and Hightower on the strongside.

How well will the Pats will defend runs up the middle with that personnel? Mayo is at his best in space, and the move would certainly help the pass defense up the seam, but can they hold up without a downhill physical presence like Spikes inside?

Regardless, the Pats have a trio of talented linebackers to start, but behind them are where the real questions come.

The Pats signed veteran James Anderson, a passing down specialist. He should fill some of Dane Fletcher’s former responsibilities and is good insurance for Mayo.

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Second-year player Steve Beauharnais was one of the many Rutgers rookies last season and showed some promise in the 2013 preseason. He will be under the microscope in training camp and could have an inside track for a bigger role in 2013.

Chris White and Josh Hill are experienced NFL special teamers and there’s always a spot for at least one of those kind of guys.

Ja’Gared Davis and Darius Fleming have pass rush skills and the Pats always have a need for those kind of guys. With some thin depth at defensive end and designated pass rusher, one of them could find a roster spot if they’re able to consistently get after quarterbacks this summer.

Cameron Gordon, Deontae Skinner and Taylor McCuller all have an uphill battle but there always seems to be an undrafted rookie linebacker like Fletcher or Gary Guyton who make the roster. 

Projection:

It will be interesting to see how Mayo, Collins and Hightower are split up situationally. Our best guess is that Mayo and Collins rarely leave the field. Hightower has some pass rush potential and could be used as a blitzer as well.

Behind them there’s a lot of question marks and there’s plenty of room for a couple unknowns to emerge and make an impact.

It will be an interesting area to focus on this summer.

Previously:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Offensive Line

Tight Ends

Defensive Tackle

Defensive Ends

Patriots Training Camp Preview: Defensive End

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The Patriots defensive end group starts and almost ends with Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich. The two combined to play the most snaps by two defensive ends in the NFL.

Behind them the depth is either coming off injury or largely unproven. In a league where your defense lives or dies by their pass rush, do the Pats have enough horses to control the edges for five-plus months?

Here’s our take on the defensive end group.

Ninkovich and Jones are represent what the Patriots defensive end position has evolved into. Bill Belichick’s defensive ends used to look like Richard Seymour and Ty Warren. Now they’re more like outside linebackers in that old system, but playing mostly with their hands in the dirt.

Ninkovich plays primarily on the left side and is stout against the run. He’s also a timely playmaker and extremely durable. Jones has great length and has put up 17.5 sacks in his first two seasons. Jones’ length and athleticism are his biggest strengths.

Both can play every down, but they really shouldn’t be relied upon quite as heavily as they were in 2013, when combined to play 95 percent of the Patriots defensive snaps.

Michael Buchanan started the season off as the designated pass rusher but hit a rookie wall and was essentially replaced by veteran Andre Carter. Buchanan should develop with a full season under his belt and the Pats would love nothing more than if he retakes the DPR spot and becomes a passing-down terror. Whether or not he can hold up on early downs to spell NInkovich and Jones would be icing on the cake.

That job as the third early-down defensive end will likely go to veteran Will Smith, who had a down year in 2012, was moved to outside linebacker in 2013 and promptly tore his ACL before the regular season started.

Can Smith revive his career in New England? It’s certainly possible, but Buchanan obviously has more long term potential and comes at a bargain since he’s a 7th round pick.

If Smith recaptures the magic from earlier in his career, the Pats defense will be deadly and deep.

Jake Bequette enters his third season after two disappointing years. Bequette was a third-round draft pick and at 6’5", 274 pounds certainly has ideal size. He spent most of his time as a wide-9 pass rusher in college, but those skills have yet to translate to the NFL. The writing is on the wall for Bequette this summer, but the door isn’t quite entirely closed on him due to the lack of depth at defensive end. He just might be one injury away from a roster spot. He’s also one sub-par training camp from being out of a job.

Zach Moore was selected in the sixth round out of Division 2 Concordia where he set a school record for sacks (33). He’s raw, but demonstrated the kind of explosion numbers that intrigue. He might be at least a year away, but could be a dark horse in a wide open field behind Jones and Ninkovich.

Projection:

In a perfect world, the Pats wouldn’t have to run Jones and Ninkovich into the ground again this season. They should hope to find a reliable third option who can play base downs and get after the quarterback on passing downs. 

This might have to be done via committee with a likely scenario being Smith and Buchanan both working in. Ideally, one of them would emerge as a dual threat.

Jones could be primed to step into the spotlight as an NFL superstar this season with the improved secondary behind him. Ninkovich is no slouch either and is really the poster boy for Bill Belichick’s second defensive evolution with the Patriots.

But if injuries were to strike Jones or Ninkovich the Pats could be in big trouble. This is a position they must be wary of, whether it means adding another player via trade at the end of training camp, or throwing Moore immediately into the fire. Depth at defensive end is critical.

Previously:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Offensive Line

Tight Ends

Defensive Tackle